Method for accessing interactive multimedia information or services from Braille documents

ABSTRACT

System and method to enable blind people to detect and access hyperlinks within Braille documents. A proximity sensing foil placed under a Braille page senses the position of a reader&#39;s fingertips and provides coordinates of the sensed position. A workstation computes the distance between the sensed position and the predefined positions hyperlinks the page is known to contain, which are initially stored in a hyperlink table. When the user&#39;s fingertips are positioned over a hyperlink, the computed distance is less than a threshold value, in which case an acoustic signal alerts the user that a hyperlink is present. The user may then access the hyperlink.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the accessibility, by blind and vision impaired people, to interactive hypermedia systems such as the Web directly from Braille documents.

BACKGROUND

Accessibility

Many groups in academia, government, and private industry are working on ways to guarantee universal access to the on-line world for all segments of society. This social movement, combined with a strong push to provide better accessibility in the workplace, is driving an increasingly urgent call for novel technologies.

As information technology (IT) penetrates all commercial and public transactions and communications, worldwide advocates for people with disabilities have demanded accessibility for everyone. In response, governments have begun to require IT to be accessible for people with disabilities through new regulations and standards. In the United States, for example, federal, state and local governments have initiated legislation requiring computer technology to be accessible to people with disabilities (refer to web site www.access-board.gov). Many other countries have established regulations that mandate accessibility at some level, or they are in the process of developing them. In addition, international standards organizations have been working to develop accessibility standards.

Accessibility Aids for Blind People

For someone who is completely unable to use a normal screen or read printed text, there are two alternatives: Braille and Speech. The assistance of blind and visually impaired people encompasses today a wide range of technical solutions from interactive speech software and cognitive tools, to screen reader software, screen enlargement programs, keyboard access utilities, and so forth.

Screen Readers convert text to speech, allowing blind or vision-impaired users to hear what is displayed on their computer screen. For example, “Jaws for Windows” is a computer screen-reader application from Henter-Joyce. It operates with Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98 and Windows 95 and includes an enhanced software speech synthesizer for speaking in several languages. Note: Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation, a company with corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash., USA.

Web Page Readers read aloud Web-based text just as it appears on enabled Web pages. For example, “Home Page Reader” of IBM, understands HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), the programming language used to design Web pages. It can accurately read text in tables, or included in graphic descriptions, thus allowing blind users to navigate easily on the Web. Note: IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, a company with corporate headquarters in Armonk, N.Y., USA.

Mail Readers use a screen reader for converting the text of an e-mail to speech. For example, the built-in features of “Lotus Notes Release 5” by IBM enable blind users to check the status of their e-mail (unread, read, deleted), to use calendar functions, and to file and organize documents.

Scanning Reading Systems first scan the information printed on a physical support. Then, using a speech synthesizer, this information can be read to blind people. For example, “Open Book: Ruby Edition 4.0” by IBM is a program that transforms a computer, a sound card, and a scanner into a complete reading machine for reading books, magazines, memos, bills, and many other printed documents.

Braille Editing Systems (BES) enable users to input Braille characters from the keyboard. For instance, IBM provides a BES that can be downloaded free of charge from the IBM Web.

Screen Magnifiers enable users with low-vision to magnify text and images on the computer screen. For example, “MAGic Screen Magnification,” from Henter-Joyce, is a screen magnification product for Windows.

Relevance of Braille

Braille is a code which enables blind people to read and write. Braille characters are made of a rectangular “cell” comprising six dots in up to 63 combinations. The alphabet, numbers, music notation, and any other symbol that appears in print can be replicated in Braille by arranging the combinations of the six dots. The dots of Braille are also used for mathematics, scientific equations, computer notations, and foreign languages. Braille is embossed by hand or with a machine onto thick paper, and read by touching the Braille characters, usually using the first finger on one or both hands moving across on top of the dots. Since Braille characters take up three times as much space as print, a set of standard contractions, known as Grade 2 Braille, has been defined to save space. With just 6 dots it is possible to define numbers, punctuation, math, and music. Grade 3 Braille provides an even more contracted form.

All people need to read, write, and count in order to enjoy intellectual freedom, personal security, and equal opportunities in our society. Braille is the universal alphabet for those whose vision is sufficiently impaired that they cannot read printed documents. Braille is the only reliable method of literacy for blind persons because it enables them to read and write. Thus, blind persons of all ages and in all walks of life need to use Braille in the same ways that sighted persons need to use print.

Listening is not literacy. Although the use of tape recorders and computers with synthetic speech have recently reduced the use of Braille, listening to a document is not the same thing as reading it. Braille is the best way for children who are blind or visually impaired to develop skills in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Audio tapes and computers that read a text through a voice synthesizer program provide access to all sorts of written materials, but they fail to give new readers the tools that they need to read and write for themselves and to perform complex tasks independently. For example, although some complex charts and graphs are almost impossible to describe orally, they can clearly be communicated in Braille.

Web Access from Braille Documents

Recently, due mainly to the widespread use of personal computers and the universal access of millions of users to the World Wide Web, “multimedia publishing” has veritably exploded. Due to the widespread penetration of CD-ROM drives, an enormous number of multimedia titles combining text, images, and sounds, are now accessible to owners of personal computers. In this evolution, a large amount of hypermedia information is accessible today via the Internet on the World Wide Web, by sighted as well as by blind people. Today, many people agree that Braille documents are the most universal and convenient source of information for the blind, and that, in the future, the Web could be an important source of information.

Consequently, an object of the invention is to promote the use of Braille by enhancing the information provided to blind people when reading Braille documents.

Another object of the present invention is to enable blind people to select and access electronic multimedia services provided by one or a plurality of servers connected on a communication network, preferably the World Wide Web.

Another object of the present invention is to enable blind people to select and access an electronic multimedia service directly from Braille documents.

Yet another object of the present invention is to enable blind people to sense, over a Braille document, hyperlinked physical regions that can be selected to access electronic multimedia services.

A further object of the present invention is to select and access an electronic multimedia service simply by detecting the proximity of the user's fingertips to hyperlinked physical regions over a Braille document while preserving the integrity of the document.

It is a particular object of the invention to improve the access to the World Wide Web for blind people.

SUMMARY

The invention relates generally to the accessibility of blind and vision impaired people to interactive hypermedia systems such as the Web directly from Braille documents.

The invention is directed to a system and method for use, in a user system, for accessing hyperlinks to information or services from a Braille document comprising one or more pages. The method comprises the steps of:

-   identifying and selecting one or more pages;     for each selected page of the Braille document: -   detecting, using a proximity sensing foil placed and aligned under     the page, items touched by the user on the surface of the page;     for each touched item on the page: -   determining the physical position of the touched item on the page by     means of the proximity sensing foil; -   storing, in a hyperlink table, an identification of the touched item     based on the physical position, on the proximity sensing foil, of     the touched item; -   creating, in the hyperlink table, a hyperlink from the touched item     to information and/or service (both of which are referred to     generically herein below as “information”).

Braille in every situation. Aside from using Braille to read all kinds of textbooks and documents, Braille is useful in a variety of other ways. Braille can be used at home to label, for example, tapes, CDs, clothes, thread, spices, cans of food, and computer disks. People who read Braille can play card games such as bridge and board games such as Scrabble. At school, a student who is visually impaired and knows Braille can take notes using a slate and stylus, scan a text to find the part to study, and re-read homework assignments before handing them in. Braille readers can look things up and go bask and forth in the text more easily. Children can write personal messages and leave notes for parents and caregivers in Braille. Braille can be easily read by sighted people with some Braille training. And, of course, there are computer programs that transcribe Braille to print or vice versa”.

Web Access from Braille Documents

During the last years, due mainly to the widespread use of personal computers and the universal access of millions of users to the World Wide Web, the “multimedia publishing” has veritably exploded. Due to the widespread penetration of CD-ROM drives an enormous amount of multimedia titles coining text, images and sounds, are now accessible to owners of personal computers. In this evolution, an incredible amount of hypermedia information is today accessible via the Internet on the world Wide Web, by sighted as well as by blind people. Today most people agree that for the blind:

-   Braille documents constitute today the most universal and convenient     source of information; -   the Web could be in the future an important source of information.

Publication entitled “Inexpensive Tactile Interaction for Blind Computer Users: Two Application Domains” by Helen Petrie et al. (IEE Colloquium on Developments in Tactile Displays, London 21 Jan. 1997) discloses a multimedia interface for blind computer users integrating audio (both speech and non-speech) and tactile information. Interfaces for hypermedia information, including a WWW browser and an interface to a geographic information system (GIS), have been developed to allows blind people to explore digitilized map information. These interfaces use touchtablets which may be covered with tactile overlays to provide inexpensive tactile interaction, and a 40 character Braille display. A non visual interface called DAHNI has been designed to help blind computer users to navigate through hypermedia applications such as the WWW. The commands used in DAHNI are designed to be to easy to use by novice blind computer users and are arranged in a symmetrical shape called Workspace. The sideways “H” shape of layout for the commands is to provide more spatial diversity to aid proprioceptive feedback. All the commands on the workspace are spoken by a dititalized human voice, in order to distinguish the commands from the content of the hypermedia information itself which is spoken by synthetic speech. Users can explore the workspace with either the keyboard, a joystick or a touchtablet. For the touchtablets, tactile overlays indicate the location of the commands which can then be accessed directly.

European patent application EP 0 959 445 entitled “Input/Output Tactile Feel Device” (F. J. Tieman B. V.) discloses a Braille device including a plurality of Braille cells that comprise a plurality of pins that are actively positioned to present information to a user via tactile feel.

The Braille device also allows the user to depress at one or more the pins in order to make a selection analogous to point and click of a mouse. To allow the user to move a screen cursor and make selections via the Braille pins, the Braille cell includes pin position sensing circuitry that senses the position of each of the plurality of Braille pins. A system controller (eg., a CPU) reads the information from the sensing circuitry to determine which pins, if any have been depressed. Advantageously, the Braille pins are used as an output device that allows a user to read information, and also as an input device by allowing the user to depress the Braille pins in order to make a selection

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to promote the use of Braille by enhancing the information provided to blind people when reading Braille documents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the main components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and more particularly a system for identifying a page of a Braille document using a bar code reader.

FIG. 2 shows a Braille document.

FIG. 3 shows a particular page of a Braille document according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the content of a hyperlink table associated with a Braille document according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a proximity sensing foil placed and aligned under a page of a Braille document according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows how the user is alerted by a sound, a beep, or any other perceptible signal that the item he reads is a hyperlinked item.

FIG. 7 shows how the user activates a hyperlink by pressing a reserved key on his workstation.

FIG. 8 shows a system for selecting and accessing Web pages from a Braille document, according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows the method for creating hyperlinks on a Braille document according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a method for detecting and activating hyperlinks from a Braille document according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows how the proximity sensing foil detects the position of the user's fingertips over a Braille document according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to a system and method to make interactive multimedia information and services linked with items (e.g., words or relief regions) embossed or engraved on physical Braille documents accessible to blind or visually impaired users.

The invention includes a system and method to enable blind people to detect hyperlinks and to access, from these hyperlinks, multimedia information and/or services located on one or more servers connected to a communication network. An acoustic signal may be used to call the user's attention to hyperlinked items or regions on the physical surface of a Braille document. This signal is activated by the proximity of the user's fingertip.

The system includes: a proximity sensing foil placed under the page of the Braille document for determining the position of the user's fingertips and for computing its coordinates, and a user system, preferably a personal computer or a workstation, for comparing the position of the user's fingertips over the Braille document with the location of predefined hyperlinked items on the Braille document. An acoustic signals alerts the user when one of his fingertips is detected by the system in the vicinity of a hyperlink. The user can then select and activate this hyperlink and can access the information and/or the service associated with the selected hyperlink.

While a user is reading a page of a Braille document, a proximity sensing foil placed under the page detects the position of his fingertips and computes the coordinates of the sensed position. These coordinates are sent to the user workstation. The user workstation then computes the distance between the sensed position and the positions of the hyperlinks defined on this page. The coordinates of hyperlinks are stored in a hyperlink table during an initial phase. If the computed distance between the sensed position and a particular hyperlink on the hyperlink table is smaller than a predetermined minimum value, it is concluded that user's fingertips are positioned over the corresponding hyperlink. The user workstation then alerts the user by an acoustic signal or any other perceptible signal that a hyperlink is associated with the item. The user can then choose to activate this hyperlink by any means (e.g., by pressing a special key on the user workstation). When the user activates the detected hyperlink, the user workstation identifies, in the same hyperlink table, a server, and, within this server, the information and/or the service associated with the detected hyperlink. Finally, a request is sent to the identified server for accessing the desired information and/or service.

In an illustrative embodiment, the user workstation is connected to the Internet, and comprises a Web Browser application. Servers are Web servers, and the information or/and the service may be Web pages linked to the items embossed or engraved on the Braille document.

FIG. 1 illustrates the system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A Braille document (101) (e.g., a Braille book) is shown with bar codes (102) printed on its pages. The Braille document (101) can be any kind of document, for example a newspaper, a novel, a textbook, a technical book, a commercial catalog, or any other type of Braille code engraved or embossed surface. The composition of the document can be paper, plastic, wood or any other nonconductive material. Any Braille character or combination of characters (words) on the document can be hyperlinked to different types multimedia information or services (sounds, music, speech synthesizers, Web page readers, tape players/recorders, and so forth).

A user workstation (105) is provided for accessing and displaying multimedia information and services. The bar codes are read by a bar code reader (103) connected to a user workstation, and are used by the user workstation to identify the document and each page of the document. In an illustrative embodiment, the workstation is connected to a communication network, preferably the Internet. Some of the Braille items on the document are linked to multimedia information and/or services located on the user workstation or on remote servers (106).

A proximity sensing foil (104) is placed underneath a page of the Braille document. The proximity sensing foil (104) may be made of transparent capacitive films of the type commonly used to manufacture touch screens. The generated signal is generally proportional to the coordinates of the point pressed. One example of such a touch foil is the MicroTouch ThruGlass™ projected capacitive technology, with a sensing range of up to 1″ (25.4 mm) though paper, glass, or any other non-conductive material. ThruGlass™ (Projected Capacitive Touchscreens) is a trademark of MICRO TOUCH company. The ThruGlass technology is fully described in the Web site of MICRO TOUCH Company at http://www.microtouch.com/.

The user workstation (105) is used to access and display information and/or services locally stored or located on remote servers (106) connected to the network (107). The user workstation may be, for example, an Internet appliance or a multimedia Personal Computer (PC). The proximity sensing foil (104) may communicate with the user workstation, for example using a cable, a wire pair, an infrared link, or a wireless radio link.

To retrieve and display multimedia information or to access a multimedia service associated with a hyperlinked item on a Braille document (101), the user uses a specific key (108) on the keyboard of his workstation. The position of the hyperlinked item detected by the proximity sensing foil identifies a server and the information associated with the selected hyperlinked item within this server. The user workstation (105) then accesses the identified server (106) and retrieves and displays the information or/and service.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 6, the user workstation (606) is connected to the Internet (611). The user workstation includes a Web Browser (608) (also called “Web Client”) to access the World-Wide-Web (WWW). When the user touches (602) a hyperlinked item (603) on the Braille document (601) placed over the proximity sensing foil (604), the user workstation (606) generates an acoustic signal (605). This signal alerts the user that the item contains a hyperlink. The position of the hyperlinked item (603) detected by the proximity sensing foil (604) identifies a Web server (607) and, within this Web server, Web pages or Web multimedia services. Once the hyperlinked item is selected, the Web Browser program (608) sends an HTTP request (609) to the identified Web Server (607). The response (610) to the request (HTTP response) is sent back by the Web Server (607) in the reverse direction to the Web Browser (608). The HTTP response (610) comprises the requested Web pages or Web multimedia services associated with the selected hyperlinked item.

As shown in FIG. 9, the method of creating hyperlinks for accessing multimedia information or services from items engraved or embossed on a Braille document (like the document shown in FIG. 2 entitled “Early British Kingdoms”), comprises the steps of:

-   (901) assigning a reference number (201) (identifier) to the Braille     document; -   (902) selecting one or more pages of the Braille document; -   assigning an identifying means and marking each selected page of the     Braille document;     for each selected page of the Braille document (or portion of the     document): -   (903) selecting one or more items (engraved or embossed items),     preferably Braille characters or Braille words (combination of     Braille characters) on the page; -   (904) creating hyperlinks from the selected items to information     and/or services accessible from the user workstation; -   (905) placing and aligning a proximity sensing foil under the page; -   touching (906), on the page, the selected hyperlinked item; -   determining the position, on the proximity sensing foil, of the     touched items; and -   storing, in a hyperlink table, an identification of each selected     hyperlink item based on the position on this proximity sensing foil     of each touched item.

As shown in FIG. 2, for the editor or publisher, the step of assigning (901) a reference number to a Braille document comprises the further steps of:

-   assigning an identifier such as a reference number (201) to this     document (e.g., 873) for identifying the document; -   engraving in Braille and printing the identifier on the document; -   creating a hyperlink table accessible from the user workstation; and -   associating the hyperlink table with the document, the hyperlink     table comprising the reference number of the document and other     relevant information related to the document such as title, author,     ISBN (International Standard Book Number), date, and so forth. The     hyperlink table may be stored within the user workstation or may be     stored in an external memory accessible from the user workstation.

In a preferred embodiment, the header of the newly created hyperlink table associated with the document shown in FIG. 2 is built as follows:

Doc: 0873 Title: “Early British Kingdoms” Author: David Nash Ford of Binfield, Berkshire, UK Date: 28 Jan. 2000 ISBN: 84-344-0856-2 Pg: X = |Y = Link:

As shown in FIG. 3, for the editor or publisher, the step of selecting and marking (902) pages to create hyperlinks comprises the further steps of generating a bar code (301) for identifying the document number (302) of the document and the page number (303), and attaching (or printing, sticking) this bar code to the page preferably in a fixed and predetermined place (e.g. on the bottom left corner or on the bottom right corner of the page).

A bar code reader may be used to enter the document number and the actual page number into the user workstation. Alternatively, or optionally, the same information may be engraved on Braille characters on the same page of the document.

For the editor or publisher, the step of selecting (903) items on a page of a Braille document and creating (904) hyperlinks comprises the further steps of:

-   identifying, locating, and optionally marking the items on the page     (e.g., by underlining them); -   storing the page number in the hyperlink table associated with the     Braille document (e.g., 16); -   associating each item with a destination address within the     communication network, this destination address identifying a server     connected to a communication network and the information and/or     services the user wants to access within this server; and -   storing the destination address associated with this item (e.g., a     URL—Uniform Resource Locator—address for example) in the hyperlink     table.

In the preferred embodiment, the hyperlink table associated with the page shown in FIG. 3 is built as follows:

Doc: 0873 Title: “Early Author: David Nash Ford British Kingdoms” of Binfield, Berkshire, UK Date: 28 Jan. 2000 ISBN: 84-344-0856-2 Pg: 16 X = |Y = Link: Mabinogion http://www.cyberphile.co.uk/~taff/ taffnet/mabinogion/mabinogion.htm X = |Y = Link: Avalon http://freespace.virgin.net/ david.ford2/avalon.html X = |Y = Link: Afallach http://freespace.virgin.net/ david.ford2/gods.html#Afallach X = |Y = Link: Beli Mawr http://freespace.virgin.net/ david.ford2/gods.html#Beli

As shown in FIG. 5, after the hyperlinked items have been defined in the hyperlink table associated with the Braille document, the proximity sensing foil is placed over (or under) the page and aligned with the borders of this page (e.g., by adjusting the upper left corner of the proximity sensing foil with the upper left corner of the page).

(906) To determining the position of hyperlinked items on the page by means of the proximity sensing foil placed underneath, as shown also in FIG. 5, for each Braille item previously marked on the page (“Mabinogion”, “Avalon”, “Afallach”, “Beli Mawr”), the user presses (e.g., by the finger tip) the corresponding mark of the item on the page. Once the coordinates of each marked item on the page have been measured, the hyperlink table is updated as follows:

Doc: 0873 Title: “Early Author: David Nash Ford British Kingdoms” of Binfield, Berkshire, UK Date: 28 Jan. 2000 ISBN: 84-344-0856-2 Pg: 16 X = 30 | Link: Mabinogion http://www.cyberphile.co.uk/~taff/ Y = 95 taffnet/mabinogion/mabinogion.htm X = 255 | Link: Avalon http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 150 david.ford2/avalon.html X = 225 | Link: Afallach http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 160 david.ford2/gods.html#Afallach X = 190 | Link: Beli Mawr http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 230 david.ford2/gods.html#Beli

For example, on page 16 of document 873 entitled “Early British Kingdoms,” writen by David Nash Ford of Binfield, the coordinates of the Braille engraved word “Mabinogion” are X=30/Y=95. This Braille marked word “Mabinopion” points to the URL address http://www.cyberphile.co.uk/˜taff/taffnet/mabinogion/mabinogion.htm.

Using the herein described method for the different pages of the same document, the hyperlink table, also shown on FIG. 4, appears as follows:

Doc: 0873 Title: “Early Author: David Nash Ford British Kingdoms” of Binfield, Berkshire, UK Date: 28 Jan. 2000 ISBN: 84-344-0856-2 Pg: 3 X = 45 | Link: Buellt & http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 130 Gwerthrynion david.ford2/buellt.html X = 205| Link: Caer-Baddan http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 170 (Bath) david.ford2/south.html#Gloui X = 75 | Link: Caer-Celemion http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 190 (Silchester) david.ford2/vortigern.html X = 110| Link: Ceredigion http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 255 david.ford2/ceredigion.html . . . . . . Pg: 16 X = 30 | Link: Mabinogion http://www.cyberphile.co.uk/~taff/ Y = 95 taffnet/mabinogion/mabinogion.htm X = 255| Link: Avalon http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 150 david.ford2/avalon.html X = 225| Link: Afallach http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 160 david.ford2/gods.html#Afallach X = 190| Link: Beli Mawr http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 230 david.ford2/gods.html#Beli . . . . . . Pg: 39 X = 25 | Link: St. Joseph http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 30 of Arimathea david.ford2/joseph.html X = 80 | Link: The Kings http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 75 of Dumnonia david.ford2/dumnonia.html X = 140| Link: Eudaf Hen http://freespace.virgin.net/ Y = 135 & Conan Meri. david.ford2/eudanc.html . . .

FIG. 2 shows a Braille document entitled “Early British Kingdoms,” (Doc: 873) for blind or visually impaired users. Hyperlinks have been previously defined between certain items selected on the pages and information and/or services on the user workstation or on servers connected by a communication network, preferably the Internet. As shown in FIG. 10, the method for activating hyperlinks and for accessing information and/or services directly from the hyperlinked items located on the pages of the Braille document, comprises the steps of:

-   (1001) selecting a Braille document by entering the reference number     of this document in the user workstation; -   (1002) selecting a page (or a portion) of the Braille document by     entering the page number in the user workstation; -   (1003) determining whether or not the selected page comprises at     least one hyperlinked items; -   (1004) placing and aligning a proximity sensing foil under the     selected page; -   (1005) determining by means of the proximity sensing foil the     position of the user's fingertips on the surface of this page; -   (1006) detecting when the user's fingertips are positioned over, or     nearby, a hyperlinked item and alerting the user; -   (1007) selecting a detected hyperlinked item and activating the     hyperlink corresponding to the hyperlinked item; -   (1008) identifying the hyperlink in the hyperlink table from the     position of the selected hyperlinked item, the hyperlink table     comprising an indication of the position (coordinates X, Y) of each     hyperlinked item on each page of the Braille document; -   (1009) identifying the information or/and the service associated     with the selected hyperlinked item referring to the hyperlink table,     the hyperlink table comprising, for each hyperlinked item of the     selected page, the identification of the requested information     and/or service in the user workstation or within the network     (preferably by means of a destination address); -   (1010) accessing the information and/or service; and -   (1011) retrieving and displaying this information and/or service.

(1001) Entering the Reference Number of the Braille Document: By means of any user interface (keyboard, bar code reader, voice recognition software and microphone, and so forth), the user enters the reference number (identifier) of the document (e.g.: document 873) he wants to select (201). In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the user enters the reference number of the document (e.g.: Doc: 873) by means of a bar code reader (103). The reference number is encoded in bar codes printed on pages of the document (102), (301) on predefined reserved places. This procedure gives access to the hyperlink table (see FIG. 4) associated with the selected Braille document.

(1002) Selecting a Page of the Braille Document: In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the user selects a page of the Braille document (101) and enters the page number by means of the bar code reader (103). This procedure gives access to the selected page (e.g., Pg. 16) within the hyperlink table (see FIG. 4) associated with the selected document (e.g., Doc: 387).

(1003) Determining whether or not the selected page comprises hyperlinked items: If one or more hyperlinked items have been defined on the selected page, the user is alerted by a perceptible signal (e.g., a “beep”). Otherwise the user can read this page in the normal way (i.e., without placing the proximity sensing foil under the page).

(1004) Placing and aligning the proximity sensing foil under a page of the document: As shown in FIG. 5, after the step of selecting a Braille document and a page containing hyperlinks, the proximity sensing foil is placed under the page and aligned with the borders of the selected page (e.g., by adjusting the upper left corner of the proximity sensing foil with the upper right or left corner of the page).

(1005) Determining the position of the user's fingertips on the surface of the page: The operating mode of the proximity sensing foil is illustrated in FIG. 11. When the user reads the Braille document using his fingertips, the proximity sensing foil continuously detects the position of the fingertips on the surface of the page. The coordinates of the user's fingertips are directly sent to the user workstation. The user workstation, using the coordinates of the hyperlinks defined for this page on the Hyperlink Table, determines whether or not the user's fingertips are placed over a hyperlinked item on the Braille document.

(1006) Detecting when the user's fingertips are positioned over a hyperlinked item and alerting the user: As shown in FIG. 6, when the user workstation detects that the user's fingertips are placed over, or nearby, a hyperlinked item on the page (e.g., the word “Afallach”), the user is alerted by means by a perceptible signal (e.g., a “beep”).

(1007) Selecting a detected hyperlink: As shown in FIG. 7, when the user detects the presence of a hyperlinked item (e.g., the word “Afallach”), he can activate this hyperlink by pressing, for example, a key on the user workstation.

(1008) Identifyng the hyperlink in the hyperlink table from the position of the detected hyperlinked item: As shown in FIG. 8, when the user selects a hyperlinked item (“Afallach”) on the page, the proximity sensing foil generates a signal and sends it to the user workstation. The signal indicates the position of the selected item on the page. The signal is generally proportional to the coordinates (X/Y) of the point pressed. In our example, the proximity sensing foil measures the position on the page of the item (“Afallach”) selected by the user. The coordinates measured at this point are approximately X=225 and Y=160.

The item selected by the user is identified by referring to the hyperlink table, which hyperlink table comprises an indication of the position (coordinates X, Y) of each hyperlinked items on each page of the document. In our example, the coordinates measured by the proximity sensing foil are approximately X=225 and Y=160, which correspond to the hyperlinked item “Afallach” in the hyperlink table.

The hyperlink table is either stored locally in the user workstation, or is retrieved from a remote server and then stored locally in the use workstation, or is stored in a remote server and accessed remotely.

(1009) Identifying the information associated with the selected item: As shown in FIG. 4, the hyperlink table includes, for each hyperlinked item of each page of the Braille document, the location within the network of the requested information and/or service. The information and/or service may be located by means of a destination address. In the Internet network, Web pages in Web Servers are identified by means of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). In our example, the hyperlink table associates the hyperlinked Braille item “Afallach” with the URL http://freespace.virgin.net/david.ford2/gods.html#Afallach.

(1010) Accessing the information and/or service: The user workstation Web activates the hyperlink (destination address, URL, and so forth) associated with the selected hyperlinked item in the hyperlink table. In our example, the hyperlink labeled “Afallach” is activated because the computed distance between the sensed position and the hyperlink on the hyperlink table, page 16 with coordinates X=225, Y=160 and labeled “Afallach” page 16, is smaller than a predetermined minimum value. It is concluded that user's fingertips are positioned over the hyperlink labeled “Afallach”. Thus, the following Web site is accessed: http://freespace.virgin.net/david.ford2/gods.html#Afallach.

(1011) Retrieving and displaying the requested information and/or service: As shown in FIG. 7, the information or service associated with the selected destination address (URL) is retrieved and displayed on the user workstation (e.g., an audio record about “Afallach: The god of the underworld”).

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit, and scope of the invention. 

1. A method for use in a user system of creating hyperlinks for accessing information or services from a Braille document comprising one or a plurality of pages, comprising the steps of: providing a hyperlink table that does not include a physical position on any page of the Braille document and does not include a hyperlink; after said providing the hyperlink table, identifying and selecting one or a plurality of pages; for each selected page of the Braille document, detecting by means of a proximity sensed foil placed and aligned under the page, items touched by user on the surface of the page; for each touched item on the page, determining the physical position of said touched item on the page by means of the proximity sense foil; after and responsive to said determining the physical position, storing in the hyperlink table: an identification of said touched item based on the physical position on the proximity sense foil of said touched item; a hyperlink from said touched item to information, or both said information and said service; and the physical position of said touched item.
 2. A method for creating hyperlinks, said method comprising: assigning a document identifier that identifies the Braille document comprising one or a plurality of pages, wherein the document identifier is a bar code; engraving the document identifier in the Braille document; providing a hyperlink table that does not include a physical position on any page of the Braille document, does not comprise any spatial coordinates on a proximity sensing foil, and does not comprise any hyperlink, wherein the hyperlink table is stored in a remote server that is remote from the user system, wherein the user system and the remote server are connected to a communication network such that the communication network is disposed between the user system and the remote server, wherein the remote system is accessed remotely by a user who is interactively using the Braille document in the user system, wherein the hyperlink table has a header, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of rows, and wherein the plurality of columns comprises an item identification column, a hyperlink column, and a physical position column; after said providing the hyperlink table, storing in the header of the hyperlink table: the document identifier that identifies the Braille document, a title of the Braille document, at least one author of the Braille document, an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) pertaining to the Braille document, and a date associated with the Braille document; after said storing in the header of the hyperlink table, detecting an item of text touched by a user, said item of text being located on a page of a Braille document, said detecting being accomplished through use of the proximity sensing foil aligned under the page while the item is being touched by the user; determining spatial coordinates on the proximity sensing foil of the detected item through use of the proximity sensing foil; determining an identification of the touched item based on the determined spatial coordinates; specifying, based on said identification, a hyperlink to a destination address from which information pertaining to the touched item may be accessed, wherein the destination address is an address of the remote server, wherein the communication network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network, wherein the server is a web server, wherein the address of the remote server is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and wherein the information is a web page of a website at the URL; after and responsive to both said determining an identification and said specifying a hyperlink, storing in a row of the plurality of rows of the hyperlink table: in the item identification column of the hyperlink table, the identification of the touched item; in the hyperlink column of the hyperlink table, the hyperlink; and in the physical position column of the hyperlink table, the determined spatial coordinates.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the Braille document is selected from the group consisting of a textbook, a technical book, and a commercial catalog.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the Braille document comprises a non-conductive material.
 5. A method for accessing information pertaining to content located in a Braille document, said method comprising: providing a hyperlink table that comprises a header, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of rows, wherein the header comprises a document identifier that identifies the Braille document, a title of the Braille document, at least one author of the Braille document, an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) pertaining to the Braille document, and a date associated with the Braille document, wherein the reference identifier is a bar code, wherein the plurality of columns comprises an item identification column, a hyperlink column, and a physical position column, wherein for each item of a plurality of items of text corresponds to a different row of the plurality of rows, wherein each different row pertaining to an item of text comprises: an identification the item on a page of the Braille document in the identification column, a hyperlink in the hyperlink column such that the hyperlink is associated with the item on the page such that the hyperlink is a link to an associated destination address of a remote server from which information pertaining to each item may be accessed, and an indicated position in the position column of each item on a proximity sensing foil, wherein the hyperlink table is stored in the remote server, wherein the remote server is remote from a user system, wherein the user system and the remote server are connected to a communication network such that the communication network is disposed between the user system and the remote server, wherein the communication network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network, wherein the server is a web server, wherein the address of the remote server is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and wherein the, information is a web page of a website at the URL, wherein the remote system is accessed remotely by a user who is interactively using the Braille document in the user system; receiving the reference identifier that identifies the Braille document and a page identifier from the user who is interactively using the Braille document in the user system, wherein the page identifier identifies a selected page in the Braille document; detecting a position of a fingertip of the user on the selected page of the Braille document, said detecting using the proximity sensing foil aligned under the page; ascertaining that the fingertip on the selected page at the detected position is less than a predetermined minimum distance from the indicated position of an existing item of text of the plurality of items of text in the hyperlink table; alerting the user in response to said ascertaining, wherein said alerting comprises generating a signal that is indicative of the detected position such that the generated signal is proportional to X/Y coordinates of the detected position; after said alerting and responsive to said ascertaining, detecting a selection by the user of the item of text; responsive to said detecting the selection by the user, identifying an existing hyperlink in the hyperlink table such that the existing hyperlink is associated with the existing item of text; retrieving, from the destination address associated with the hyperlink in the hyperlink table with the existing hyperlink, the information pertaining to the existing item of text; and displaying, the retrieved information on the user system.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the Braille document is selected from the group consisting of a textbook, a technical book, and a commercial catalog.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the Braille document comprises a non-conductive material.
 8. A method for use in a user system of creating hyperlinks for accessing information or services from a Braille document comprising one or a plurality of pages, comprising the steps of: assigning a document identifier that identifies the Braille document, wherein the document identifier is a reference number or a bar code; engraving in the Braille document, the document identifier that identifies the Braille document; providing a hyperlink table that does not include a physical position on any page of the Braille document and does not include a hyperlink, wherein the hyperlink table is stored in a remote server that is remote from the user system, wherein the user system and the remote server are connected to a communication network such that the communication network is disposed between the user system and the remote server, wherein the remote system is accessed remotely by a user who is interactively using the Braille document in the user system, wherein the hyperlink table has a header, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of rows, and wherein the plurality of columns comprises an item identification column, a hyperlink column, and a physical position column; after said providing the hyperlink table, storing in the header of the hyperlink table: the document identifier that identifies the Braille document, a title of the Braille document, at least one author of the Braille document, an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) pertaining to the Braille document, and a date associated with the Braille document; after said storing in the header of the hyperlink table, identifying and selecting, by the user, one or a plurality of pages of the Braille document; for each selected page of the Braille document, detecting by means of a proximity sensed foil placed and aligned under the page, items touched by the user on the surface of the page; for each touched item on the page, detennining the physical position of said touched item on the page by means of the proximity sense foil; after and responsive to said determining the physical position, storing in a row of the plurality of rows of the hyperlink table: in the item identification column of the hyperlink table, an identification of said touched item based on the physical position on the proximity sense foil of said touched item; in the hyperlink column of the hyperlink table, a hyperlink from said touched item to infonnation, service, or both said information and said service; and in the physical position column of the hyperlink table, the physical position of said touched item. 